#Resources: #Supplies

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's the third installment of An Animal Rescuer’s Guide to Staying (Relatively) Sane.  This is the part of the Resources category about supplies.  Also, here's Snuggly again.  This was just a couple of days before she went to her forever home.  As you can see, she's filled out quite a bit more and her fur had become soft and silky.  Don't let the resting-bitch-face fool you, she was a sweetie. :-)

An Animal Rescuer’s Guide to Staying (Relatively) Sane Resources: Supplies:

What you need here is going to vary a lot depending on what type(s) of animals you are rescuing. You will need to create a list of the basic needs of your charge(s). Food, cages/tanks/rooms/stalls/fields/fencing/kennels/other space or restraints/physical barriers, bedding, treats, water bottles, storage containers, toys, perches, waste containers/disposal methods, lights, bowls, troughs, leashes, harnesses, medications, de-wormers, parasite control measures, cleaning products, antiseptics that are safe for the species you are caring for, brushes, bandages, etc. In short, anything that you will need to have in order to provide for the basic needs of the animal(s) in your custody. You will need to be intimately familiar with the dietary, housing, medical, and other physical needs of the animals you are caring for. Even if you have cared for this type of animal for years, you are now expanding the scope of that care (after all, that’s what rescue is). You may end up with animals that are in bad physical shape (diseased, malnourished, or injured), you may end up with very old or very young animals, and you will probably end up with a greater number of animals than you are used to. You need to update and verify the accuracy of any information you may have, and you need to expand your knowledge base. You can get some of the information you need from books (and every rescuer should develop and maintain a library on the animals that they are caring for), but the best way to go about determining what these supplies will need to be is to talk to someone who is experienced in rescuing these types of animals, and to a veterinarian who is experienced in working with these types of animals. Which brings us to our next necessary resource.